I shoot 3 shot groups at 100 yards. For this type of rifle, I expect to be at 1.25" or smaller, center to center measurements. Most likely I am going to be just under 1" to .75". If I was shooting a high power and able to shoot 10 shots in short order that would be one thing. With ML like this it might be taking you 2 to 3 minutes between shots. Small changes in wind and cloud condition will impact where the bullet will go. I can not find totally windless, sunny days without any mirages when I shoot. All those things push bullets around. This is with peep sights. If I was shooting a scoped ML. I would expect better.
If a bullet will not get good groups at 100 yards, you can not expect it get get better as you move farther out. I wished I could say that I could shoot a MOA as you move out to farther ranges, but with these rifles you simply can not on a regular bases.
I have shot 3 shot groups at 200 yards with a 45 cal that I scoped up that are .75". Cant necessarily do that every day or with every group. But a 14 X Leopold tactical scope strapped to the top makes a difference over peep sights.
The below picture is a 300 yard target I shot in 1998 at the NMLRA Spring match. It is a 13 shot target, you take the highest 10 shots for score. It scores 89. One of the 3 that is thrown out is out there at the 5 ring. The spread of 13 shots is just over 13". Might not look like much but when you consider there are no sighting shots in the match, it takes over 30 minutes to shoot the match. You have to get up and down for each shot, the shots are from cross sticks, peep sights, conditions are never not changing, sun, wind, other distractions etc.
The 89 score was good enough to set a new national record. I have no idea on if the record still stands or not. My guess is that it does not, I have not looked.
A couple of years at at Oak Ridge for the 200 yard match, I was blowing the center out of the target, to the point that they quit using the scoring disk as I was destroying it as well. I ended up with a 99 6X. My last shot was a 9. Can I shoot groups everyday that has 6X's? Not a chance. But that day with those conditions it was working for me. I bet if I could shoot in a place with no wind or changing conditions, I could do that on a regular bases.
Shooting 3 shot groups at 100 yards works for me. I know what my benchmarks are and the yardstick that I use to determine an accurate load. At 100 yards it tells me what the rifle can do. Shooting farther takes more work from the shooter to shoot a tight group. The shooter becomes more and more the variable as you move farther out.
Dont take me wrong, you got to make sure your bullet is not falling apart (not literally) for longer ranges as well.
One day at a match I asked a buddy of mine from another state that I shoot long range with what kind of groups that he gets at 100 yards. He replied that he has no idea. He has never done it. He has his own yardstick that he uses for what he determines for him what an accurate load is.
What I do works for me. I also realize that I might be able to improve on what I do. Constantly looking and thinking about how to change things to make my shooting better is what most of us try to do. Somethings work, somethings do not.
Fleener
